GIANTS: Eli not worried about Big Blue's offensive lull

New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle (82) attempts to catch a pass for a touchdown in front of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis (23) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012, in East Rutherford, N.J. The pass was incomplete. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

EAST RUTHERFORD — Although the Giants have scored just two offensive touchdowns over the last eight quarters, Eli Manning isn’t about to push the panic button.

That’s never been his style, no matter how much the unit he controls struggles.

What the Giants quarterback did do Tuesday was reach out for some suggesstions from his brother Peyton and Giants coach Tom Coughlin to see if they could help resurrect an offense that was No. 2 in the NFL in total yards through September, but has dropped to 11th after it struggled Sunday against the Steelers.

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How did the chat with his coach go?

“We just had a talk about how to get back on track. Get back to playing at a high level, anything I needed,” Eli explained at his weekly Wednesday gathering with the media in front of his locker.

“We talk throughout the season, we have a great relationship, and obviously both of us want the same thing — for our offense to get back rolling and start scoring some points,” said the two-time Super Bowl MVP.

What about the chat with older brother Peyton, who last week threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns against the Cincinnati defense Eli will be facing this Sunday, when the G-Men hope to get to 7-3 heading into their bye week.

“I talked to him (Peyton) a little bit,” Eli said. “I talked to him yesterday about their game — just seeing if there are any tips on certain things.”

Any questions about the success Denver had with its no-huddle offense?

“That’s just their offense,” Eli added. “They go no-huddle every game and practice like that. It’s not something we do a whole lot of.”

Maybe the G-Men should incorporate that in their scheme, which gained just 182 yards of total offense and was held to a season-low 68 rushing yards. It only got to the end zone on a 1-yard Andre Brown run, which looked very suspect as he reached over the goal line.

In a win at Dallas and the home loss to Pittsburgh, the Giants have kicked four field goals in their six drives that got inside the 20.

Coughlin knows where the problems start.

“You don’t get any continuity offensively if you don’t make any first downs,” he explained. “We haven’t had any first downs in two weeks. You make a first down, you’ll have a chance to get some rhythm, get some continuity, get into your play calling. When you don’t have first downs, it’s like throwing darts at a board. You need the continuity.”

The Giants had just 11 first downs at Dallas and 13 against the Steelers — the lowest two-game total of first downs since 2004.

Coughlin said the conversation with his QB dealt with what the coach can do to get the offense back to where it was in September.

“Most of the time, it’s about fundamentals and about us getting going,” Coughlin explained. “What can I do to help and little things I can tweak, in terms of practice, that may help.

“He (Eli) has been very responsive with regard to that. We’ve been down this road before. He’s going to get this thing right and get our offensive team going again and get on track. I have great confidence in his ability to do that.”

The most glaring problem with the offense has been the lack of productivity by Manning’s main receivers — Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz. The G-Men have seen their passing average per game drop from 309.0 a game over the first four games to 206.5 after eight.

Nicks has caught just 13 balls for 152 yards in the last four games, and had only a 10-yard catch against the Steelers. Cruz has caught 18 receptions for 202 yards in the last four games — but 77 came on a touchdown throw from Eli against the Redskins.

Cruz admitted he knows a reason his numbers have dropped.

“More double teams, more guys in my face,” he said. “Not so much off coverage, more physicality — more of them trying to get their hands on me. It’s just something I’ve got to be prepared for and continue to work and defeat the coverage.

“We’re still able to find our spots and areas where I can get the ball and be effective,” he said. “I’ve just got to work through a lot more traffic.”